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When Chris Hadfield first visited Jasper, there was a twinkle in his eye but it had nothing to do with the stars. Hadfield was focused on raising a family -- thoughts of heaven secondary to his terrestrial responsibilities. "My wife and I first came to Jasper 29 years ago," recalls Hadfield, Canada's most famous astronaut. "We were here when our son was one-year-old and she was pregnant with our second child."

What are we to make of all of these reinvention projects? For one, even successes often require second acts. For a variety of reasons, we are experiencing turbulence and change at an unprecedented level today. So how does one deal with such volatility, uncertainty and anxiety?

Have you ever wished you could have a secret robot alter ego? Or that you could wander around a gallery alone late at night? Well, now you can combine both these fantasies in one as After Dark is launched at Tate Britain.

At what I thought was a routine appointment in 2004, I met my little white blob face-to-face for the first time: A golf ball-sized brain tumor had lodged itself behind my right inner ear, intertwined with the delicate, wet-tissue-paper strands of my hearing, balance and facial nerves for what the doctors guessed was five years before it was found.

We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a substitute for the reality of change, growth and exploration. Our minds and bodies help us in this, as they react much the same to this simulations as to the real world. Thus we scream in horror movies or amusement park rides and get a rush from blowing up the bad guys in video games.

Much is written in business circles of visualizing your success. Well for astronauts, it is quite the reverse, they spend considerable time visualizing failure; simulating what they would do if something went wrong -- and in space, the scope is unlimited. As business owners we need to do that too and be prepared for what could go wrong, with a plan B (or C) in our back pocket.

With politicians having precisely nothing to do but prepare for an election, Nick Clegg, the future former Deputy Prime Minister, and Nigel Farage, the UK's biggest insignificance, debated the EU on Wednesday night...

Colonel Chris Hadfield's book opens with a brief description of the wonders of seeing Earth from space. For a few short paragraphs, the reader is treated to depictions of the sunrises. In the space of a few pages, however, this all ends, leaving a paean to meticulousness in its place. This book, as it turns out, is less about space than it is about being a certain sort of person.

Chris Hadfield truly is a remarkable Canadian. The motion, 'M-477' states that the government should "designate August 29th each year as Chris Hadfield Day." At a time when science is under attack by some, it is essential that we acknowledge its critical place in our past, present and future.

Inspired and compelled by celebrity luminaries including The Barenaked Ladies and Serena Ryder, as well as some particular youth favourites such as Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, the feeling at We Day 2013 in the Air Canada Centre was electric.

Commander Hadfield is equal part astronaut and PR spokesperson. We have just witnessed the best, longest-running, "good news" PR campaign in years. It was designed to promote interest in space aviation, technology, and science, and by extension the STEM subjects -- science, technology, engineering and math -- to our next generation. Here are his communication strategy and techniques, deconstructed.

Sorry, Chris. While the Leafs were as hot as the heat shielding on your Soyuz capsule right up to three minutes remaining in the third, all of Toronto was, I'm sure, wishing the Maple Leafs had your determination to reach for the stars.

About Astronaut Chris Hadfield

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield is on board the International Space Station for Expedition 35. His social media engagement has captured we Earthlings' fascination with photos, music and a constant stream of updates from orbit.